In 2012, Aniston received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She is one of the highest paid actresses in Hollywood,[7][8] and as of 2014, her net worth is estimated to be US$150 million.[9] She has also been included in magazines’ lists of the world’s most beautiful women.[10][11][12]People magazine named Aniston “The Most Beautiful Woman” in 2004 and 2016, and Men’s Health magazine voted her the “Sexiest Woman of All Time” in 2011.[13] Divorced from actor Brad Pitt, to whom she was married for five years, she has been married to actor Justin Theroux since 2015.

As a child, Aniston lived in Greece for a year with her family. They then moved to Eddystone, Pennsylvania, where they lived with her grandmother Stella Anastassakis in a three-bedroom home. While living in Eddystone, Aniston was enrolled at a local elementary school.[19] She and her family later moved to New York City.[2] Despite her father’s television career, Aniston was discouraged from watching TV, though she found ways around the prohibition. When she was six, she began attending a Waldorf school.[20] Her mother and father split up when she was nine years old.[1] Her father is best known for his role as Victor Kiriakis on the NBC daytime drama Days of Our Lives, which he originated in 1985.[21][22] Her mother appeared in two 1960s TV series, The Wild Wild West and The Beverly Hillbillies.[23]

Having discovered acting at age 11 at the Waldorf school,[1] Aniston enrolled in and graduated from Manhattan‘s Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, where she joined the school’s drama society.[24] In 2015, she spoke about a childhood incident that led to her lifelong fear of water. She stated during a special event for her film Cake, “I basically have a real fear of going underwater. I was a kid and I was riding this tricycle around a swimming pool and I drove my tricycle into the swimming pool and I didn’t let go and my brother tried to (help). So, I can’t go underwater and no one will believe me. I honestly can’t.” The incident led to filming a swimming pool scene 30 times on the set of the film with director Daniel Barnz before getting it right.[25]

1994–02: Television breakthrough and rising film career

Depressed over her four unsuccessful television shows, Aniston approached Warren Littlefield at a Los Angeles gas station asking for reassurance about her career. The head of NBC entertainment encouraged Aniston to continue acting, and a few months later helped cast her for Friends,[32][28] a sitcom that was set to debut on NBC’s 1994–1995 fall lineup. The producers of the show originally wanted Aniston to audition for the role of Monica Geller,[33] but Courteney Cox was considered to be better suited to the role. Thus, Aniston was cast as Rachel Green. She was also offered a spot as a featured player on Saturday Night Live, but turned it down to do Friends.[34] She played the character of Rachel from 1994 until the show ended in 2004.[35][36]

The program was successful and Aniston, along with her co-stars, gained world-wide reputation among television viewers. Aniston received a salary of US$1 million per episode for the last two seasons of Friends, as well as five Emmy nominations (two for Supporting Actress, three for Lead Actress),[37][38] including a win for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.[39] She was also nominated for two Golden Globe Awards and won, in 2003, the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Musical or Comedy. According to the Guinness World Book of Records (2005), Aniston (along with her female costars) became the highest paid TV actress of all time with her US$1 million-per-episode paycheck for the tenth season of Friends.[40] Her relationship with Ross Geller, portrayed by David Schwimmer in the show was widely popular among audiences and the couple were frequently voted as TV’s favorite couple by polls and magazines.[41]

She gained critical acclaim for her performance in the low-budget film The Good Girl (2002), playing an unglamorous cashier who cheats on her husband. The latter film opened in relatively few theaters – under 700 in total – taking US$14 million in the U.S. box office.[46] In 2002, film critic Roger Ebert declared the role as her breakthrough film, stating that, “after languishing in a series of overlooked movies that ranged from the entertaining Office Space to the disposable Picture Perfect (1997), Jennifer Aniston has at last decisively broken with her “Friends” image in an independent film of satiric fire and emotional turmoil. It will no longer be possible to consider her in the same way.”[47]

2003–11: Film career

Aniston’s biggest box office success to date was her appearance in the comedy Bruce Almighty (2003), in which she played the girlfriend of Jim Carrey’s title character.[48] Aniston then starred in the romantic comedy film Along Came Polly (2004) opposite Ben Stiller.[49] Aniston appeared in two major studio films, the thriller Derailed (2005), and the rom-comRumor Has It… (2005).[50][51] Aniston appeared in the low-budget drama Friends with Money (2006), which was first shown at the Sundance Film Festival and received a limited release.[52] Aniston’s next film was the romantic comedy The Break-Up (2006) alongside Vince Vaughn which received mixed reviews. The A.V. Club‘s Keith Phipps gave the film a negative review stating, “It’s like watching the ‘we were on a break’ episode of Friends stretched to feature length, and without the blessed relief of commercial breaks or the promise of Seinfeld around the corner.”[53]CinemaBlend gave the film a positive review stating, “In an era of formulaic romantic movies that bear no resemblance to reality, The Break-Up offers a refreshing flipside.”[54] It was released on June 2 and grossed approximately US$39.17 million during its opening weekend. The film was successful at the box office grossing US$204 million worldwide.[55]

On December 25, 2008, the comedy-drama Marley & Me, in which Aniston starred alongside Owen Wilson, was released. It set a record for the largest Christmas Day box office ever with US$14.75 million in ticket sales. It earned a total of US$51.7 million over the four-day weekend and placed number one at the box office, a position it maintained for two weeks.[60] The total worldwide gross wasUS$242.7 million.[61] Her next film in wide release, the romantic comedy-drama He’s Just Not That Into You (2009), where she starred opposite Ben Affleck, opened in February. The movie grossed $178.8 million globally[62] and ranked at number one at the United States box office for its opening weekend.[63] While the film received mixed reviews, Aniston, along with Affleck, Ginnifer Goodwin, and Jennifer Connelly, were often praised by critics as being the stand-outs in the film.[64][65]

On July 16, 2009, Aniston received an Emmy nomination in the category of Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her role on30 Rock.[66] Aniston was a guest star on the season 2 premiere of ABC’s sitcom Cougar Town, playing a psychiatrist.[67] Her announcement to appear on Cougar Town garnered excitement and was dubbed as her return to television. The A.V. Club wrote, “Aniston plays Jules’ therapist, and the part is more or less a twist on the old, ‘The psychiatrist is crazier than the patient!’ gimmick, though the show has a lot of fun with the idea that the therapist is obviously batshit […] It’s a funny bit, and it highlights just how much Jennifer Aniston is built to be a TV star.”[68] Numerous media outlets also praised her performance.[69][70]

Aniston in March 2010

In March 2010, Aniston appeared in the romantic comedy action film The Bounty Hunter, which costarred Gerard Butler. The film was panned by critics. The Hollywood Reporter described it as a “mishmash ends up as a thoroughly unfunny adult cartoon.”[71] It was a modest box office success, garnering over US$130 million worldwide.[72] A lukewarm box-office reception greeted her next film, the romantic comedy The Switch(2010), in which she co-starred with Jason Bateman. The film’s opening weekend drew what The Hollywood Reporter dubbed “a dispiritingUS$8.4 million.”[73] The film received generally mixed reviews, with review site Metacritic showing 13 out of 30 critics delivering a positive verdict.[74]

By June 20, 2010, Aniston’s movies had grossed more than US$1 billion in the United States and over US$1.7 billion worldwide.[75] Aniston’s romantic comedy Just Go with It (2011), with Adam Sandler,[76] was released on Valentine’s Day weekend.[77] The story is about a plastic surgeon, played by Sandler, who asks his office manager, played by Aniston, to pose as his wife, to prove his honesty to his much younger girlfriend, played by Brooklyn Decker.[78] Aniston starred in the comedy movie Horrible Bosses (2011), with Colin Farrell, Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, and Jamie Foxx, directed by Seth Gordon. The film focuses on a trio of employees who plot to murder their titular tyrannical supervisors. Aniston played one of the bosses, a sexually aggressive dentist who harasses Charlie Day’s character.[79] She reprised her role in the sequel Horrible Bosses 2(2014).[80]

2012–present

Aniston appeared in the comedy Wanderlust (2012) with Paul Rudd,[81] with whom she co-starred in the movie The Object of My Affection (1998) and also Friends.[82] The script for Wanderlust, bought by Universal Pictures,[83] was written by Rudd, Ken Marino, and David Wain, with the latter also directing the film, and was produced by Judd Apatow.[84] The movie was about a married couple who join a commune after losing their money and deciding modern life is not for them.[85]Wanderlustreceived mixed reviews and was a box office failure, grossing only $21 million worldwide, against a production budget of $35 million.[86]

Thanks to a contract sign with Elizabeth Arden, Inc.,[114] Aniston worked for over a year on a new perfume, which was released on July 21, 2010, atHarrods in London.[115][116] Original plans called for the perfume to be named Lolavie by Jennifer Aniston, but to avoid confusion with a similarly named perfume, the name was changed to simply Jennifer Aniston.[117] In an interview following the launch, Aniston said that she would also like to create a fragrance for men.[118] In 2014, she launched her second perfume named J.[119][120] In 2015, she launched her third perfume named Near Dusk[114] and created her fourth scent in 2016, named Beachscape.[121]

Since 2007, Aniston has worked in a publicity campaign for the drink SmartWater; on March 7, 2011, she released a YouTube video, titled “Jennifer Aniston Goes Viral“, for SmartWater, which tripled online interest in the product within 24 hours of its release.[122][123][124] In January 2013, Aniston became the new spokesperson and face of Aveeno Skincare.[125] The commercials began airing in May 2013.[126] She is also a spokesperson and co-owner of hair care brand Living Proof.[127] In 2015, she became the new face of Emirates airline in a deal reported to be roughly US$5 million.[128][129] Aniston’s marketing campaign for the Dubai-based Emirates airline was reportedly a success, with the airline bagging No.1 position as the most popular brand in the UAE for the second consecutive year.[130]

In 2016, Aniston was honored by SmartWater for her ongoing philanthropic work for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital at a special event in LA for the hospital that was attended by numerous celebrities. During the event, Aniston spoke of the importance of philanthropy in her life to InStyle magazine stating, “We live an extremely beautiful, fortunate life being able to do what we get to do for a living. And so it’s a way of being able to be in a position to do something for people who are less able. It’s something that makes my heart smile.”[142]

Personal life

Relationships

Aniston’s high-profile relationship with actor Brad Pitt was frequently publicized in the press.[143][145] She married Pitt, after two years of dating, on July 29, 2000 in a lavish Malibuwedding.[146] For a few years, their marriage was considered the rare Hollywood success,[2] but on January 7, 2005 they announced their separation[147] and finalized their divorce on October 2, 2005.[148] During their divorce proceedings there was intense speculation in the media that Pitt had been unfaithful to Aniston with his Mr. & Mrs. Smith co-starAngelina Jolie, whom he started dating soon after the split.[149] In the following months, the public’s reaction toward the divorce was reported in the press, and “Team Aniston” and “Team Jolie” T-shirts appeared throughout the country.[149] The divorce made the front-pages of tabloid magazines for years, and it still continues to be discussed in the media. Aniston commented on the divorce in a January 2015 interview with The Hollywood Reporter , stating that “Nobody did anything wrong…. It was just like, sometimes things [happen].”[150]

In 2005, media reports speculated that the split was due to Aniston’s refusal to have children with Pitt. Aniston denied that this was the cause of their split in an August 2005 Vanity Fair magazine interview, stating, “I’ve never in my life said I didn’t want to have children. I did and I do and I will… I would never give up that experience for a career.” Aniston also revealed that her divorce prompted her to reach out to her mother, Nancy, from whom she was estranged for nearly a decade. They initially became estranged when Nancy talked about her daughter on a television show and later wrote a book entitled, From Mother and Daughter to Friends: A Memoir (1999).[151][152] Aniston has also stated she was devastated by the death of her longtime therapist, whose work helped make her separation from Pitt easier.[57] Aniston said her relationship with Pitt, which she does not regret, was “seven very intense years together” and that “it was a beautiful, complicated relationship”.[153]

Aniston started a relationship with actor, director and screenwriter Justin Theroux in May 2011. In January 2012, Aniston and Theroux purchased a home in Los Angeles’s Bel-Air neighborhood for roughly US$22 million.[156] They became engaged on August 10, 2012[157]and were married on August 5, 2015 at their Bel Air estate.[158]

Health and fitness

Aniston said she had undiagnosed dyslexia, which had affected her education and self-esteem, and that after being diagnosed in her 20s, her outlook toward life changed. She stated, “I thought I wasn’t smart. I just couldn’t retain anything. Now I had this great discovery. I felt like all of my childhood trauma-dies, tragedies, dramas were explained.”[150]

In the media

Wealth

In 2007, Forbes rated Aniston as one of the top 20 richest women in entertainment and estimated her net worth to be about US$110 million.[163] Aniston was also included in the annual Star Salary Top 10 of trade magazine The Hollywood Reporter for 2006.[164] According to Forbes, in October 2007, Aniston was the top-selling celebrity face of the entertainment industry.[165] She was also Hollywood’s most profitable actress. Aniston has been on the Forbes Celebrity 100 list, based on “earnings and fame”, every year since 2001, topping the list in 2003.[166] For the year of 2008, Forbes listed Aniston’s earnings as US$27 million.[167] In 2014, Aniston ranked 3rd on Forbes Top Earning Actresses, earning US$31 million in that year.[168] Her net worth is estimated to be US$150 million as of 2014.[9]

Public image

In 2005, Aniston became the first-ever GQ Woman of the Year. She has frequently appeared on People‘s annual list of “Most Beautiful Women“, and was number-one in 2004 and recently in 2016.[169] She also topped the magazine’s Best Dressed List in 2006. She has been a regular on FHM‘s 100 Sexiest Women list since 1996, ranking at number 79 in 2012, number 81 in 2010, number 24 in 2009 and number 27 in 2008.[170] In 2011, The Daily Telegraph reported the most sought after body parts of the rich and famous revealed by two Hollywoodplastic surgeons who carried out a survey among their patients to build up the picture of what the perfect woman would look like. Under the category of the most sought after body shape, Aniston was voted in the top three, alongside Gisele Bündchen and Penélope Cruz.[171] In the same year, readers of Men’s Health magazine voted Aniston the “Sexiest Woman of All Time”.[172]

Although Aniston disliked the hairstyle she wore during her first two years on Friends, “The Rachel” became very popular among women.[173][174] Aniston received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on February 22, 2012. The star is located at 6270 Hollywood Boulevard, in front of The W Hollywood Hotel.[175] It is recognized as STAR 2, 462nd.[176] On Forbes‘ list of the 100 Most Powerful Actresses in Hollywood, she was ranked number-8 in 2009,[177] number-2 in both 2011 and 2012,[178][179] and number-3 in 2013.[180]

In July 2016, Jennifer Aniston wrote an essay for The Huffington Post[181] in reply to recent rumors about her, where she criticized “The objectification and scrutiny we put women through…” and stated that “We are complete with or without a mate, with or without a child. We get to decide for ourselves what is beautiful when it comes to our bodies….We don’t need to be married or mothers to be complete. We get to determine our own “happily ever after” for ourselves.” The essay was supported by many celebrities and thoroughly discussed in the media.

Jump up^Gregoire, Carolyn. “10 Celebrities Leading The Wellness Revolution”. Retrieved29 April 2014. Jennifer Aniston is a long-time yoga practitioner – she’s appeared in aYogalosophy DVD and even given Oprah a yoga mat – and she’s one of the most famous devotees of TM. The 43-year-old actress has said of her yoga routine, ‘If I don’t do it then my spirit sort of goes.’